Saturday, March 26, 2011

The spring is almost around the corner here on the east coast. Last week was bright and sunny but later this week it snowed again and we are expecting at least one more snow shower in the coming week. Last week when my little one came back after playing in the snow, he asked me if I can make him something like a snow shake..... ??????

These toddlers really force you to get out of your couch and make something exciting and new for them everyday in every meal. As I navigated through my refrigerator I came up with this idea of frothy ice cream shake...... !!!!!

My Son was pretty happy with my idea and just asked me to add some of his fav peppermint candies. So the question was, Vanilla Ice cream , peppermint candies & what else ....

And I found this pack on instant Mocha Latte in my kitchen cabinet. Armed with this varied choice of ingredients and a little googling I was more certain how to go about it.

In a few minutes we were enjoying our crunchy 'n' snowy peppermint shake with big cat moustache ....!!!!!!

I found these peppermint candies intriguing, here we have some sticking on the ceiling !!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

My Creative Flavors welcomes spring with its new look, saying good bye to winters in one breath.

And what better way to welcome spring than making some thing chilled and refreshing from the best nature has to offer. Talking of Nature, I'm in love with all my potted plants and this small pot of Mint is really special to me.....!

I have been nurturing it like a little baby in my living room all through these dry winters. Now as the spring has sprung, so my pots and me are back in action. This weekend I spend the whole day weeding my old ones and sowing flowers in the new ones. Planting pots is a great small contribution to conserve environment, and for me the best stress buster activity. I love hanging out with my plants in my tiny balcony overlooking some great views.

Lemons and mint in a drink make an ultimate combo. Just few fresh sprigs of mint straight from your tiny pot to a glass of fresh lemon juice and yogurt is thoroughly refreshing and rejuvenating to mind and soul. Lemons are regarded as natures boon by ayurveda for their awesome healing and antiseptic properties in need of fever, indigestion or dental ailments. Lemons are a wonderful source of natural vitamin C and add perfect zing in the curries, desserts or pickles. There are myraid benefits of drinking lemons everyday. I like to kick start my day with a glass of fresh lemon juice and honey and there is nothing like picking up some fresh lemons from the backyard for the best flavor.

Here is the easiest and the healthiest home made drink with lemons and fresh sprigs of mint straight from the pot with some toasted peppercorns to add spice to this great combo.

Ingredients:

Lemons : 2

Fresh Mint sprigs : 2-3

Honey : 1 tsp or Sugar/Sugar Syrup to taste

Salt : A pinch

Black peppercorns : few to seasonCumin Powder : 1/4 Tsp

My bag of lemons caught my attention early on in the shoot !

Can you see these lemons peeking out ?

Method: -

Squeeze the fresh juice from lemons into a bowl. Add honey or sugar to taste & a pinch of salt.

Lightly toast few peppercorns in a skillet and toss them in.One ingredient that will make that will bring all these flavors together is fresh roasted cumin powder. Add a pinch & stir.

Add the lemon juice mix to water.I like to add it in a glass of warm water in the morning and chilled water at other times of the day.

﻿

My Lemonade is almost done, and doesn't it look Lovely !!!

Add Ice as you like it, alternatively to add some twist you can, crush few mint leaves in mortar & pestle,and add it to the ice tray for lively green ice cubes.

﻿Lemonade is ready by tossing ice cubes and a sprig of fresh mint straight from the pot, a perfect drink to start a rejuvenating day.... !!!

﻿﻿I loved my refreshing combo, hope you like it too !!!

Check out my new Photography Page... if not done yet, just Click Here.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Here is my first loaf of homemade and oven fresh banana bread.... !!!!!!

Baking is always fun and learning exercise for me. I have been baking cakes for a while. But the thought of baking my own bread came to my mind when I ate a very nice home baked bread at the International Multi Cultural Feast over at my son's school, hence was tempted to bake my own loaf. I found out that more than a dozen wonderful recipes were floating around the web. I literally got confused about which recipe to pick, as every recipe was a virtual delight on the net. Ultimately I chose this recipe by Breadtopia and later on added couple of more ingredients like oats, protinex and honey to make it more healthy for my little one. There are number of options to top up the banana bread - walnuts, almonds, oats, sesame seeds or brown and white chocolate chips. My son always asks for chocolate chips, so I added a handful on top of the loaf, to get subtle crunchy effect.

I love baking with fruits and veggies, as it lends organic flavor and color to the dish, sans food colors and essence. Banana is perhaps, the most common fruit in the whole world. I simply adore this naturally sweet fruit with yellow jacket. I always knew that bananas are good for health and kids, but this research revealed me more amazing findings. Bananas are considered very good for heart, kidneys, nerves and bones. It is loaded with potassium, vitamin B6, A and C. Its a wonderful source of boosting energy in the kids and at top of it makes hemoglobin in the body. The goodness can be savored in forms of smoothies, ice creams, chips, fritters, curry or in baked dishes. The rich green banana leaf is traditionally used in Southern India to serve the dishes, especially dosas or crepes. So its good to go Bananas...!

This weekend when I got the bunch of ripe bananas from the grocery store, I was determined to bake it following week. The bananas were lucky and destined to be baked early as my lot got crushed in the trolley, while coming back from the grocery store. Got my baking gloves on and to bake my first loaf of Banana Bread.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Keep the loaf pan or muffin moulds ready, what ever you like.
Line the bottom of pan with parchment paper or lightly oil and dust with flour.
Follow the simple rules of baking.
First mix dry ingredients, then liquid ingredients and fold in the dry mix.
If blending the ingredients by spatula, do it in one direction, to allow ample air circulation.
This ensures that the cake/bread is soft and spongy.

Peel and puree the bananas by hand blender or in a mixer.
Gradually add milk, yogurt, butter and honey.
Gently fold the dry mix in the wet ingredients until just combined.
If the mix is too dry, add some warm milk to get thick yet flowing consistency of the batter.

Now Pour the mix in the greased loaf pan, up to three fourth level.
Sprinkle some choco chips or any nuts you like.
Bake it for 40-50 minutes, until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
If the bread isn't done, put it back in the oven and check it every five minutes, until done.

Here it is, my loaf comes out of the oven.

First shots of this baby !!!

Couldn't resist clicking a few more...

Oh my Gosh...I'm so excited, my bread is done !
Since this was my first attempt, I was tempted to give it a warm welcome on my dinning table by tying a ribbon around it...

It's got lovely golden crust and my kitchen is filled up with the fresh aromatic flavors.

Enjoy the home made oven fresh bread with the rich cinnamon yogurt spread over butter or cheese spread.....!!!!!!!

Whip the yogurt well to get creamy consistency.
Add honey and cinnamon to taste and garnish with thinly sliced almonds.

A rich and healthy yogurt spread is ready in just few minutes to be enjoyed with warm bread !

On a separate note, my official url from this week would be http://www.mycreativeflavors.com.
Incase you use Blogger url to access my site, you'd still be redirected to the new domain without any problem. Let me know if you have any hassle navigating etc...

Friday, March 11, 2011

It is still cold and windy outside. Yesterday curled up on the couch after dropping my little one to the school, reassuring myself that its just the last phase of the unfavorable weather and started watching Television. I couldn't resist making myself a bowl of good soup to rejuvenate my tired soul after having four rounds to the school of my little one. This is when I thought of putting to use a bunch of Asparagus I had picked up from supermarket a day before.

Asparagus is full of nutrients and minerals - Vitamin A, C, K, folic acid, potassium. A wide array of dishes can be cooked with this simple yet most detoxifying and anti aging vegetable on the planet. It can be enjoyed as raw or added to the pot of mixed vegetables and at times makes a nutritious pizza topping. I like it in all forms but the most delightful way is to have it as a warm bowl of soup.

I borrowed a part of my recipe from the marthastewart.com. My recipe is never complete till I add some ingredients and delete few to please the taste buds of my family. So here I added almost all the greens I had at home - fresh spinach leaves, sweet peas, green onions and some moong (green lentil) bean sprouts as well.
Here is a quick recipe for the soup with fresh asparagus. An ultimate refreshing and healthy soup.... !

Method:
Cut the tips of the asparagus and save the tips to be sauteed later.*
Cut the rest of the asparagus stalk into 1'' pieces.
Remove hard ends.

Melt a teaspoon of butter in a saucepan and saute chopped onion, garlic, spinach and the stems of asparagus.
Add some water and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes till the stems are tender.

Let it cool and blend in a mixer to make smooth puree.

Boil hard-ends in a separate container for 10-15 mins to extract flavor.

We will mix it with the puree now to enhance its flavor.

Heat the puree again, add salt, pepper and heavy cream to taste.
Adjust the thickness of the soup to taste by adding milk.
Garnish with spoonful of moong bean (green lentil) sprouts for more healthy crunch.
Inviting and vibrant creamy soup is ready.
Enjoy hot with garlic bread.

Lemon Sauteed Asparagus Tips:Wash the tips of the asparagus thoroughly in warm water.

Saute the tips of asparagus in olive oil.
Add the zest of lemon and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add a pinch of Garam Masala & squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top.
Toss for few minutes in the frying pan & garnish with parmesan cheese.

My family simply loved this combo, So let me know how you like it ... !

Friday, March 4, 2011

Avocado works like lucky charm for me !Perhaps because my Tangy Avocado Chutney was the first one to go in my gallery of Tasteologie, Foodgawker and Tastespotting. I remember the first time I saw avocados , it was love at first sight. Maybe I'm kind of obsessed with green color since, so all green fruits and veggies get my instant attention and avocado was another one to sneak in to my refrigerator. Avocado's are full of vitamins (B6, C,K, E) and nutrients and known as one of the healthiest fruit of the world. I like the subtle taste, just perfect for the days when you dont want either spicy or sweet food and loved the hues of green, with a significant source of nutrition. Avocados are normally on top of my 'must buy' list these days.
﻿﻿﻿

It was sunny and warm outside last week and I wanted to have some refreshing doze of ice cream loaded with goodness of avocados. My quick search led me on the tinyurbankitchen blog, whom I was already following closely ever since she won the Foodbuzz contest. Her word on food and recipes are final for me, so without contemplating much, I just started with the process of this super easy and appetizing ice cream. The original recipe calls for adding sour cream but I preferred to replace it with yogurt and added some chocolate chips/pistachio for my little one. This is my small trick to make him eat anything by topping with choco chips :-)

My little Dennis the Menace wanted to have it in a soft serve cone with chocolate chips.
So here it is.....

Voila, a luscious ice cream is ready !!!!!!!!!

Relish the ice cream loaded with goodness and nutrition of avocados,
& with the topping of pistachio, choco chips or fresh fruits !!!
Hope you enjoyed this concoction & let me know how you liked it.....